Crash Bandicoot (game)
Crash Bandicoot is a platform game made by Naughty Dog in 1997 for the PlayStation, featuring the character by the same name. While playing, Crash Bandicoot must fight Doctor Neo Cortex's henchmen in order to save Tawna, his beloved bandicoot girlfriend for revenge on Cortex. This game was made when Naughty Dog had but ten employees. The game, as well as being originally released on the PlayStation, was also emulated on the PlayStation Network on December 4, 2006, through which it can be played on the PlayStation Portable and, as of Operating System update 1.70, on the PlayStation 3. Gameplay The gameplay in Crash Bandicoot is noticably simpler than the series' later iterations, Crash doesn't learn any skills throughout the game, he is able only to jump and use a spin attack. In this game the only animal that Crash could ride in the game was a warthog. Crash Bandicoot is played in a third-person perspective, with both side-scrolling and tube-like 3D levels. If Crash loses all his lives, the game will end. Crash can run, jump and perform a spin attack. The majority of enemies can be defeated by using the jump attack, but enemies that cannot be defeated by the jump attack must be defeated by using the spinning move, and vice versa. The spinning move can also be used to launch enemies into other enemies, or crates.4 As well as the previously mentioned gameplay dynamics, in two levels, Crash will ride a wild boar, avoiding obstacles such as enemies and pillars of spikes while continuously moving forward. Two levels also have Crash chased by a boulder, running towards the screen while dodging obstacles and jumping over pits. The player can collect Aku Aku masks hidden in crates. When these floating masks are collected, the player is protected from one enemy's attack/contact per mask. Collecting two masks will give the player two attacks' protection, and collecting three masks will give player temporary invulnerability from all minor dangers, after which the mask reverts to the two-hit form.4 Also available in many levels are tokens hidden inside crates. These tokens feature the likenesses of Tawna, Doctor Nitrus Brio or Doctor Neo Cortex. Once the player collects three matching tokens in one stage, the player is transported to a bonus round, where the player can collect additional Wumpa Fruit, extra lives or other items; the Cortex bonus round contains keys which the player must collect to unlock secret levels. The Tawna bonus rounds can be used to save one's progress, using either a memory card or password system.4 Each level also contains one clear gem rewarded for destroying all the boxes in a level (excluding bonus-level boxes) without dying. If the player dies however, every single crate (other than the checkpoint one that they just split open) WILL reset themselves. But the player can still leave the level regardless.4 Some levels contain an extra clear or coloured gem awarded for completing a secondary task. The game has twenty-five normal levels, as well as two secret levels and six boss battles: the local tribe leader Papu Papu; the insane Ripper Roo; the muscle-bound Koala Kong; the gun-toting Pinstripe Potoroo; the stuttering Doctor Nitrus Brio; and finally, the demented Dr. Neo Cortex himself. Boss battles have the player avoiding the boss character's patterned attacks, then attacking the boss when they are vulnerable. Story and plot Somewhere southeast of Australia, there were three little islands, teeming with marsupial life. However, two humans had been experimenting with the local furry creatures, in order to form a destructive and evil army of anthrophomorphized marsupials. Dr. Nitrus Brio had created a machine called the Evolvo-Ray, but his ever pushy boss (and main series antagonist) took the credit. Dr. Neo Cortex had just kidnapped two regular bandicoots; one male and one female. They were then evolved. Both worked successfully, but Dr. Cortex had to insert them into his patented Cortex Vortex, a mind-controlling device to create evil henchmen. Finally, the evolved male bandicoot was inserted into the brain-draining machine, and... turned out to be an utter failure. The bandicoot Crash ran from an angry Cortex. He accidentally broke through a window in his attempt to get away and fell into the sea. But Tawna (the other bandicoot, and his girlfriend) was still in Cortex's clutches. When Crash washed up on the beach of his home island, he set out to save Tawna before Cortex could do anything terrible to her. Eventually, Crash reached Cortex's sinister castle, and after exploring the castle, he confronted Cortex atop his Airship. After a long fight, Crash watched in awe as the rocket platform that Cortex stood on exploded, and Cortex fell into a mine. Meanwhile, Crash and Tawna celebrated the temporary defeat of the evil Dr. Neo Cortex! Items and crates * Outline Crate * Crash Crate * Iron Crate * Arrow Crate * Basic Crate * Checkpoint Crate * Aku Aku Crate * TNT Crate * ! Crate * Bounce Crate * ? Crate * Gems * Keys * Wumpa Fruit Development The idea for Crash Bandicoot was realized by Naughty Dog founders Andrew Gavin and Jason Rubin on the way across country. Development of the game started in August 1994 when Rubin and Gavin hired Charles Zembillas and Joe Pearson to help in the development of the main character's look. The development of this game took place entirely in Los Angeles, California, after Rubin and Gavin moved there from Boston, Massachusetts. Crash Bandicoot was the main focus of the Naughty Dog team during its development, so much so that ideas for another game, Al O. Saurus and Dinestein, were thrown out. The character was originally going to be a wombat called Willy Wombat, but it was later changed to a bandicoot and renamed Crash Bandicoot.9 Sony officially became publisher of the game during March 1995. In April that year the game went Alpha and was officially unveiled to the public in May 1996 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where it was well received. Crash Bandicoot was most likely one of Naughty Dog's ideas given to them by yet another idea from Insomniac Games as production began shortly after the production of Spyro the Dragon originally due to be released for the Sega Genesis alongside Crash Bandicoot. The thoughs of Crash being a spin-off on Spyro was definate when Jak and Daxter came out after Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank. Reception Reviews of Crash Bandicoot were generally positive, with an 80.4% average rating on Game Rankings.12 IGN rated the game a 7.5 out of 10, praising the game's graphics, though criticizing it for having occasionally sluggish controls and being challenging at times.14 The PSP port was rated the same score, saying, "Ten years later the Crash phenomenon has died down, but it's quite a testament that the original game still holds up fairly well." Gaming Target rated the game a 9.3 out of 10, praising its visuals and gameplay.15 GameSpot was critical of the game, however, rating it 6.8 out of 10 calling the gameplay flat, dismissing the game as only slightly above average. Category:Video games